If you used a search engine to find this post, you used AI. Artificial intelligence (and its close cousin, machine learning) is everywhere in our daily lives. For example, we use it to avoid traffic snarls during the morning rush, filter out spam from our inboxes, deposit checks without stopping by the bank …

… and yes, to recruit qualified talent.

The bots are coming HERE.

In recent years, AI has gained a firm foothold in the recruiting landscape:

• Apps have minimized the time-consuming logistical nightmare of scheduling candidate interviews.
• “Intelligent” chatbots use machine learning to serve website visitors information, properly route job seekers and clients to agency employees when appropriate, and more.
• Candidate relationship platforms can now identify and prioritize top passive candidates and recommend the best times/ways to reach and build relationships with them.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. AI’s impact is already undeniable; the big question is: How will it affect recruiting in the next few years?

Before we go any further, relax. Artificial intelligence is designed to make you better at your job – not replace you. So don’t be threatened by it; embrace it! Here are a few ways artificial intelligence will help you deliver extraordinary results for your clients (and ensure a healthy bottom line for your firm) in the years to come:

Before the Application: Finding and Attracting Candidates

Job posting placement. Programmatic advertising leverages rules-based bidding for job postings to:

• display jobs on boards where they will attract the right candidates;
• eliminate overspending once application targets are reached; and
• automatically reallocate job-board spend to under-performing jobs (i.e., ones that prove harder to fill).

In the next few years, I expect a proliferation of tools and platforms for maximizing job board spend. Staffing and recruiting professionals that cling to old-school, trial-and-error methods for advertising jobs will be left in the dust.

Recruiting bias. Recruiters will use language analysis tools not only to drive response to job postings, but to improve the quality of candidate diversity. As data and predictive analytics continue to evolve, their value in eliminating recruiting bias will increase.

Recruitment content marketing. Every day, humans use search engines to find employment opportunities, staffing agencies, executive recruiters, and more. Google RankBrain and other AI systems will reward agencies that ditch old keyword-stuffing strategies and post relevant, conversational content (on their website, blog, and job postings) with better search rankings.

Post Application: Sorting, Screening and Selecting Candidates

Resume sorting. We’ve been using technology to scan and filter resumes for years. In the near term, we’ll begin using AI to:

• use placed candidates’ resumes to identify patterns that serve as a basis for predicting which candidates are most likely to succeed in a position if hired;
• eliminate unconscious bias in resume screening, as well as subsequent steps in the placement cycle.

Candidate identification. ATS systems will become more intelligent, leveraging machine learning to move beyond basic keyword-matching – and taking a more holistic approach to identifying candidates with the right experience, technical, and soft skills for a given role.

Interviewing. Chatbots and similar tech will evolve to assume the labor-intensive aspects of initial candidate screening, posing personalized questions based on an individual’s resume and the available job. And in the not-too-distant future, we’ll likely see voice modulation and facial recognition technology used to reduce bias, better interpret candidate behavior, and improve interviewing insights.

Final Thoughts

Staffing professionals who embrace these and other AI technologies will have decided recruiting advantages – sourcing and vetting job seekers faster, more cost-effectively, and with greater accuracy than their competitors.

 

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